Daily Boost - Clarity for Life and Work

How To Break Bad HabitsHave you struggled to break a habit?Bad habits are not good. They will mess up your day. They are also not permanent. You weren’t born with bad habits, and you are not required under penalty of law to keep bad habits. Since there’s no real reason to keep bad habits, let’s replace them the easy way.Nobody likes to give up what’s comfortable - even if it’s not serving you. Instead, start a new behavior and replace the bad before it mucks up your life again. Breaking bad habits is doing new behaviors instead of old behaviors. No muss. No-fuss. Be consistent and persistent, and you will wipe that old habit away forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 When I first met my wife, Joi, I knew we would be married and live happily ever after. But there was a problem. Joi didn’t see it that way - at least not right away.If life has taught me anything, it’s that almost nobody is on the same page when they first meet. We might be in the same book but not on the same page. In the early weeks of our relationship, I was in full-on action mode, and I was on a mission to achieve my goal as quickly as possible. I was also getting frustrated since Joi didn’t seem to share my urgency. She was enjoying our relationship and in no hurry. One day, I decided to take action -I dragged myself out of bed at 4:30 AM, drove 30 minutes, and waited for Joi to arrive at the gym. I met her when she stepped out of her car, nearly scaring her to death, and said,“I love you. What do I have to do to catch you? We should…” Stopped by a kiss, she said, “We’ll know in about 6-months. Let’s enjoy the ride.”It wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but Joi had given me something even more powerful. She gave me an expectation, I knew her rules, how to play the game, and that she was right. All relationships, romantic, friendship, or professional, follow the same path. There is an initial spark, a period of trust-building, and finally, commitment. In time, the relationship grows stronger or will fade. Time will tell.That’s how it works and how it went for us. Exactly 6-Months later, to the day, I asked Joi to marry me, and she said yes. That was 15 years ago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's an idea floating within your mind. Soon it will demand your attention. Is this all there is? Am I destined for something bigger?Your real purpose will arrive in your life when you:1) Accept WHO you are and have always been. You are beautiful just the way you are.2) Accept WHAT you do when you are doing you. Life is far more enjoyable when you spend most of your time in your comfort zone - and step out occasionally.3) Accept WHEN when you want to start living in the moment. Now is a good time.4) Accept WHERE you are in your life. As long as you know where you are, you can go anywhere.Accepting your real purpose is revealed by daily actions. If you want to go in a new direction, change what you do. Start today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before I begin, I want to define what I mean by doing nothing.I don’t see doing ‘nothing’ as something unproductive. Instead, I see ‘nothing’ as a protected personal space that lies between your thoughts and your actions. It is a place that provides a contemplation and planning opportunity before launching into massive and focused action design to reach your outcome and achievement of your goal.It is a holding space where inspiration, desperation, motivation, even intimidation, bubble up into your consciousness and await your next action.Instead of moving your thoughts immediately into action mode or never moving at all, both of which cause unnecessary drama, you purposefully quarantine your thoughts until you are assured in your success plan or decide to take a new direction.Doing nothing looks like this:1) All thoughts and potential actions arrive in your mind and are held for evaluation.2) Unless based on a previous decision and cleared for instant action, you always take the time to ensure that your actions will lead you to your vision.3) If you don’t know the absolute end-game of your journey, you are still on another path. Don’t take a step until you know where you are one your new path.In the end, doing nothing is a place in your mind where you choose your path, direct your actions, and create your legacy. It is a place of personal respect that is built into you and will allow you to have the most significant impact on yourself and the world around you.I don’t know about you, but I get a lot of good thinking time when I’m doing nothing. That time is priceless.If doing something takes you off track, you might be better off doing nothing - at least for a little while. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is a title like "Three Steps Required to Change Anything" an oversimplification of what it takes to get what you want?Or… is it the acceptance that everything is simple - until we complicate it.If you guess the second, you will get along just fine.So, what are those three steps?The first step to getting anything you want is to KNOW what you want. Many will argue that the first step is the most difficult. Like they say, "work with the outcome in mind." I don't see it this way and believe it's not more complicated than what follows.Next, you need to know how you will accomplish your goal by establishing a framework or roadmap to get there. No, you won't see every step you must take, but unless you are living under a rock, you will know the significant accomplishments that must happen. Just look around, and you'll see them everywhere.Finally, you must take consistent and disciplined action toward your goal with every waking moment. Every time you allow your focus to drift, you find yourself taking longer to reach your outcome.So, there it is. While many nuances will challenge you, the basic steps to getting what you want are simple -Know it. Map it. Do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You hear a lot about using morning rituals to get more done. But what if you could use your mornings to get more done for YOU?In the fast-face world, we live in today; there seem to be two groups when it comes to how to use mornings—personal and productivity. Once folks remove themselves from the craziness of jumping out of bed, taking care of the kids, and hitting the drive-through, they choose one of the two. But what if there was a third group that was more satisfying?Before I go on, I need to admit that I didn't use to be a morning person and didn't like getting up early at all. I even quit my first couple of jobs as a morning radio host so I could sleep. Later in my career, I would hit my desk at 5 AM and pound through my to-do list as fast as possible. I must have been saying, "I…MUST… GET… IT… DONE!" That didn't work well because I didn't see the purpose of getting out of bed early if it was only to work.For a few years, I spent my mornings reading and meditating before heading off to the gym. I got in better shape, but my bank balance was less, and my future goals were seemingly unreachable.Then, one day out of pure frustration and sporting a brand-new I don't give a heck attitude, I asked myself a question that changed everything -"What's the first thing I should do tomorrow morning that, if I do, will allow me to live a life of my design?"Notice that I didn't ask about work or what was on my to-do list. It didn't have anything to do with getting more done or getting in better shape. I focused on the lifestyle I wanted to live - and it was life-changing.In the years since I made that decision, I've started my days doing the most important thing I deem required to live the life of my choosing, and I've been happier for it.I've also come across dozens of morning do-gooders who are getting everything done, except what they dream of doing, and when they realize it's not their fault, everything changes. They got caught up in the buzz of life, and everyone does. But, the minute you choose to focus on YOU before anything else is when you start making real progress.When you focus on what is important to you, you get what is important to you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever caught yourself doing or saying something you swore you would never do?  You have been TRIGGERED!It can be frustrating when you set the rules and don't follow them. Sometimes you put your foot in your mouth. Sometimes you put the pizza in your mouth. In any case, your emotional habits are triggering your actions before you can do anything about them.Controlling behaviors that have been on auto-pilot for years takes:1) Catching yourself after the fact. Notice your mistake and see it coming sooner next time.2) Catching yourself being triggered as it's happening. You're getting better.3) Catching yourself before you act and stop it. That's the goal.Emotional Triggers can throw you off track from your goals. Pay attention to your behaviors and make minor adjustments until you get what you want. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you study people who have had success in any area of their life, you will find they have much in common. Not only do they follow a set of rules, they follow those rules no matter how much life gets in the way.What are those rules?The person who has the strongest "Why" wins.The person who shows up wins.The person who is most persistent wins.The person show never assumes wins.The person who is the best at what they do wins.The person who plans and documents their journey and interactions wins.The person who never gives up total control to others wins.The person who acceptances responsibility for themselves wins.The person who serves the most wins.The actions you take automatically become the life you experience. It's essential to be mindful of where you are heading.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever found yourself stuck in the middle?I spoke with a client trying to be everything to everybody. His business was not growing. His life was not happy. He couldn’t seem to find a way to make progress.  That’s when I said…“My friend, you are stuck in the middle. Nothing good happens when you are in the middle.”In business and life, it’s okay to have low expectations and surround yourself with like-minded folks. It’s also okay to reach for your dreams, have high expectations, and expect that of others.What happens if you’re in the middle?When low and high expectations combine, confusion is the result. Mediocrity overtakes quality. Frustration will be your daily friend.The choice is yours. If I were you, I would make the decision never to get stuck in the middle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ll never forget the day a mentor of mine said to me —“You have to become the person you want to be before becoming the person you want to be.”What? So I have to fake it until I make it?Heck no! I’m not going to change who I am - no way!“No. You’re not changing who you are. It’s just that you have to understand that the future, you will have a different set of beliefs than you hold right now. That’s called growth. Whatever you believe, you will become.”At first, I thought he meant I would have to sell my soul to the devil and take on beliefs that were not mine to get what I wanted. But one day, I realized that day-to-day living is changing me anyway. I may as well make a choice myself.My thinking when like this —If I hold a self-image because of what I believe, all I have to do is create a future self-image, decide what that person would believe, and design a set of rules and actions that make those beliefs happen.What’s the best part?There’s no waiting. The very minute you decide what you believe, everything begins to change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices